


The Basketball Game

by alltimefail01



Series: Zalex One-Shots (13rw) [1]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Bullying, Canon Disabled Character, Drama & Romance, M/M, Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Recovery, References to Canon, Sexuality, discussion of sexuality, mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 04:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15700182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltimefail01/pseuds/alltimefail01
Summary: Alex plans to surprise his best friend Zach at the first basketball game of the season, followed by their normal Friday night shenanigans… and maybe a little bit more?





	The Basketball Game

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic that I have written in a LONG time, but I thought since we’re in a 13RW hiatus until season 3, and the “Zalex” tag is a tad dry right now, I’d share some of my Zalex writings with you guys! (They’re kind of my OTP at the moment…) I genuinely hope you all enjoy it! If you have any requests feel free to let me know and please leave *Kudos* if you enjoyed and comments for critique or requests!
> 
> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account HERE: https://www.wattpad.com/608907412-zalex-one-shots-13rw-the-basketball-game

"You've got to be kidding me! After everything Zach does, I can't even go to a stupid fucking basketball game? Seriously? This is ridiculous!"

Alex could feel hot anger rising throughout his whole body as he stood in disbelief before his parents: he loved them, but he was so sick and tired of not being able to do things that every other stupid teenager his age was able to do. They wanted to protect him, he understood that, but it wasn't like they removed him from Liberty High School all together: if he had to go to school there, they could at least let him pretend that everything was normal.

"Alex, please watch your language—"

"Dad, Zach is like... one of my only friends, okay? I just want to go to one of his games. I promised I would go to one of his games and this is the first one of the season..."

"If we didn't have to work, we would be more than happy to come sit with you so that you could be at the game, but considering the circumstances..."

"I don't need a fucking babysitter!"

"Alex please..." his mother chimed in this time, worry written all over her face. She was exhausted, he could feel it. A pang of guilt settled in his chest, so he took a second to calm down. He never means to hurt anyone, it just happens like that sometimes with all the anger, the frustration. He knows it isn't their fault he's like this, but he just can't help getting overwhelmed in his brokenness sometimes.

"I'm sorry guys, it's just... I really wanted to go to this game. I know everything got messed up at the end of last year with the trials and Tyler and the dance..." Alex watched his parents' expressions harden at the mention of the dance. Beyond all the bullshit with Tyler, they also knew about what happened between him, Jessica, and Justin. Which honestly didn't matter anymore. He would always love Jess, and sure it hurt at first, but he wasn't sad their relationship was over. For whatever reason, it was actually kind of a relief to him.

Alex adds, nervously, "I really am okay. Everyone else is going to be there... I can just sit with Clay." His mom looks at his dad and lets out another long sigh before finally coming to a silent agreement between mixed glances. How do they even do that? How can parents communicate with like... just their eyes?

"Alright Alex..." his father rubs at his neck, clearly willing to compromise, then continues, "if Clay goes with you, it's okay for you to go. Will he be able to give you a ride back?"

Alex's eyes light up, a feeling of relief spreading through his whole body, "I was actually going to hang out with Zach for a bit after the game and figured Zach could crash here tonight?"

It wasn't unusual for Zach to come over and stay the night on weekends. Alex always looked forward to Friday nights because it meant secret junk-food runs, video games, and best of all Zach Dempsey. With both boys avoiding the party scene this year, their weekend hangouts were a perfect alternative... plus, a little alone time with just Zach was never a bad thing because Zach's attention wouldn't have to be divided...

"That's fine honey... just please be home at a decent hour, okay? With those games starting up and the parties after..."

"I'll be fine, Mom. Seriously. We'll be home within an hour of the game being over—if anything changes, I'll text you."

Alex wanted to be especially compliant, because he didn't want his parents to change their minds. Zach had no idea that Alex was coming to his game—in fact, Alex convinced Zach that his parents would never let him come, leading to clear disappointment in the taller boy's features. Alex would normally hate himself for making Zach feel anything but positive feelings, but this time he knew what he had up his sleeve.

"Okay bud, that's great. We'll both be home late tonight, so make sure you have your key, okay?"

Alex nodded enthusiastically and whipped out his phone on the spot. He could see the surprise in both his parents as a response to his upbeat attitude, but he just continued with the task at hand, calling Clay. No time to text, he wanted to get to the game as soon as possible and see Zach.

Clay answered after a few rings, "Hey, Alex... everything okay?" Alex could hear clatter in the background but didn't mind that as he cut straight to the point.

"Yeah everything is fine. Hey, did you want to go to the basketball game today? I know it's like... not really your thing but Zach is on varsity, and he's captain now so... I kind of thought we could all go and like, support him or something?" His words did not come off as coolly as he intended, and he realized that when there was a pause from Clay on the other end of the line.

After about 5 seconds of silence, Clay cleared his throat "Um... uh, yeah. I'm with Tony right now, we're just finishing up our food and then we planned to go to the game anyway, with Justin back on the team too, we figured it'd be best for me to go and show some support... the brother thing, you know? I think everyone else is going too, so if you need a ride we can be there in 10?"

Way to go, Alex. Alex mentally slapped himself, feeling a bit exposed because he completely brushed away the fact that Justin was back on the team as well, but he really was just focused on seeing Zach. He laughed nervously and hoped Clay wouldn't think anything of it as he responded quickly, "Yeah sounds great I'll see you in ten" and quickly ended the call. On any other normal day, he'd probably prod more about Clay being out with Tony, alone, but he figured he'd save teasing for another day.

~~~~~

Alex paced by the door until he saw a red mustang pull up in front of his house. A jolt of excitement ran through his entire body as he saw Clay running up to the door, which was open before he could even get to it. Alex ignored the calls behind him, yelling back "Okay" and "Yep" to everything. He even let Clay help him into the car so that they could get on the road quicker. He was so excited to see Zach, he could barely even contain himself. Is what I'm wearing okay? Is he going to be weirded out that I'm here? What if he asked because he was making sure I wouldn't be there? Oh shit, oh shit... why do I even care? It's just Zach, he's my friend he probably won't even remember asking in the first place it's not like...

"Alex?" Clay and Tony were both looking at Alex worriedly. They must have said something, but Alex was too busy spiraling down a rabbit hole in his mind. He tried to recover quickly, but it came off less convincing than he intended it to.

"Sorry, can you repeat that? I um... zoned out for a second there I guess."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him, "More like a whole 5 minutes, but yeah we'll call it a second. You okay, Standall?"

"I'm fine, just tired is all."

Both Tony and Clay reluctantly took Alex's answer as truth. The rest of the car ride was filled with talk about Tyler, talk about Tony and Clay and how they were dealing with mess of it all, talk about Liberty High School and how shitty it was, and a million questions to Alex about his progress, but none of that mattered because all Alex wanted to talk about and think about was Zach.

Over the summer, Zach came over every day. They continued with PT of course, but they also watched movies and played video games at Alex's house, they hung out at the beach—sometimes alone, sometimes with a few other friends, and just were always together. Alex even got Zach to go to Monet's with him a few times, something the jock had never done before. Alex loved how close they were, but he couldn't shake the thought that he'd never been close like this with anyone else, not even Jessica.

Finally, they pulled up to the school and Alex would have leapt out of his seat if not for Tony, who already was at his door carefully maneuvering him from the seat. He had made a lot of progress in PT with Zach, so he was feeling much more confident with walking on his own—he hardly relied on his cane, but still brought it with him just in case.

They walked to the gymnasium and took their seats just as the game was about to start.

He was so excited that he didn't even notice the group forming around him of their typical lunch friends. Hugs were exchanged, and then Tony and Clay were talking about some TV show with Ryan and Courtney, (Tony was obviously clueless about it, as Clay was trying to inform him as the conversation progressed) and Nina was trying to convince Sherri and Jess to join track, and everything just felt really normal and nice, like this is the way everything should have been, like in some weird way it was honoring Hannah that they all came together through all the hard shit, and they all did their best to learn from all the craziness that happened. The trial brought them together in like, a weird solidarity and although he didn't engage in any of the conversations happening, reserving all his words for Zach, he liked knowing that he could, like he was wanted and like he had this weird family of misfits that he didn't have to pretend around.

Finally, after what felt like years, the announcer came over the loud speaker, announcing the name of each member of the Liberty High Varsity basketball team. Once Justin came out, Clay was the first to stand and cheer for him out of their group: he pulled Tony up with him, who smiled to himself and joined Clay in cheering. The group wasn't far behind the two, however, and Alex knew that Zach would not be far behind him, so he maneuvered himself up and cheered with everyone too.

After a moment of silence, Alex's heart skipped a beat when he heard the announcer playing into the audience's anticipation "...And now...this year's captain... Zach Dempsey!" The crowd roared loudly, and Alex cheered along with them. Zach ran out from the tunnel excitedly and turned to smile his million-dollar smile at the audience, and his eyes immediately met Alex's eyes.

The look of surprise on the taller boy's face was priceless, and Alex soaked in every bit of it. Zach's eyes had a comforting, sweet look that Alex had seen so many times before, and somehow Zach's smile became brighter. Zach snuck in an enthusiastic wave at Alex before getting set on the court.

It took a whole 30 seconds for Alex to realize the crowd was sitting down, as he was lost in the joy of surprising his best friend.

~~~~~  
The game went by quickly, with Liberty completely smoking whatever team they were competing against. If Alex was being honest, he really wasn't paying that much attention to the game itself but rather to Zach, who every now and again would sneak glances and shy smiles his way which only made his heart beat faster, and he didn't even care because he just wanted to lean into that feeling for once, allow it to overtake him and indulge the thought that those shy smiles were reserved just for him.

Am I into Zach? The question lingered in Alex's mind, that same question had been haunting him and giving him anxiety for a while now. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind though, and just chose to try and enjoy the game without getting too much into his head. He couldn't help but notice that Justin also seemed beyond happy that his new brother was there to support him, along with friends who actually cared about him. Alex couldn't help but feel truly happy for Justin, regardless of the past with Jess and all that complicated shit that didn't matter anymore.

The score ended up being 71 to 59, Liberty High School taking their first win of the season with Zach making the final shot with 3 seconds left on the clock. Alex stood back and waited for the crowd around the players to subside before finally approaching Zach. Once Zach saw Alex, he left whoever he was talking to and ran up to the smaller boy, wrapping his sweaty arms around him.

"Dude, whaaaat? I thought you couldn't come!" 

A blush rose up Alex's neck and into his cheeks as he felt Zach's arms tighten around his thin frame: there was something comforting about hugging Zach, even when his skin was sticky and sweaty... his arms had become familiar, but Alex never got sick of the feeling. All their friends were surrounding the boys, congratulating Zach and Justin on a great game, but neither Alex or Zach even noticed. Without thinking, Alex blurted out to Zach, "You wanna' get out of here, Dempsey? We could go back to my place and just like... hang out tonight. Less crowds and shit..." Alex trailed off, slightly embarrassed at his eagerness, but Zach placed a hand on Alex's arm and smiled, noticeably swallowing and stuttered out, "Y-yeah, definitely. Let me just go get cleaned up, I'll be right back."

In no time at all, Zach was back in the gymnasium, his hair still dripping from the shower, a scent of mint, fresh-woodsy soap, and clean linens filling all of Alex's senses and intoxicating him. Zach already had his keys in hand as he wrapped his arm around Alex to help him out of the bleachers and out the door. "That was fast," Alex commented, trying to ignore the swirling feeling in his head while being a little surprised at Zach's eagerness. He felt the icy water drop from Zach's hair and onto his arm, and he couldn't help but shiver a bit from it. You're being so obvious Alex, shit...

The car ride back to Alex's house was filled with comfortable silence: nothing but the hum of Alex's favorite station coming from the speakers, and the sound of Zach's sweet, even breaths. Every now and again Alex would glance over at the taller boy and admire him, and he'd blush as Zach would catch him, but never say anything about it. He has to know Alex thought to himself nervously, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to ruin their friendship but damn...

The boys finally reached Alex's home. Alex didn't even try to get out by himself because he knew Zach would tease him about it and insist that he let him help. The boys got inside and headed straight up to Alex's room.

"You can shut the door; my parents aren't home..."

"Already on it," Zach interrupted happily, as he shut the door and plopped down next to Alex on the bed, arms spread fully out, taking up the rest of the vacant space. Alex couldn't help but notice how there was something on Zach's mind, something different about his features that screamed internal contemplation, but he didn't know how to go about asking him. Out of his own nerves, Alex stupidly blurted out, "So, I saw some girl talking to you after the game... she's in your bio class, right?"

Zach sat up quickly, bighting his lip and furrowing his brow, carefully responding, "Yeah, she's nice..."

"Do you like her?" What are you doing Alex? What the actual hell are you doing?

Zach looked slightly hurt for some reason, but just shook his head, regaining his composure. "No... no I don't." He stiffened a bit, grabbing his controller and avoiding Alex's eyes. "I saw you sitting with Jess, so you're cool now?"

Alex was taken aback by the tone of Zach's voice, and how his features twisted into a bitter, sarcastic way. Alex hardly even spoke to Jess at the game. Sure, she sat next to him, and they talked here and there, but Zach had to know that he wasn't interested in Jess any more. Alex just laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. "We're friends but like... that's it. I'm not really interested in Jess like that anymore."

"Oh. Well, are you interested in someone else then?" Zach's hands felt suddenly sweaty, feeling like maybe he'd said too much.

Alex's brain scattered to find an answer, and he finally settled on "I don't know, they probably wouldn't be interested in me anyway. I'm not really hi...her type I think. It's not a big deal..."

Her type. Zach suddenly feels jealous for some reason, and a little bit confused and angry all at the same time. Why the hell would he convince himself that Alex maybe didn't just like girls, and why does he care so much? Zach does everything for Alex, not that he felt entitled to his affection because of that or anything, but still... they had grown so close, how could Alex not feel something too?

"Well, she'd be an idiot not to like you." The words come out sharper than Zach intends them to, and he notices Alex shift a bit uncomfortably. Zach immediately feels embarrassed and tries to correct himself, "I-I'm sorry Alex. I didn't mean for that..."

"I like you, Zach."

"I like you too Alex and that's why I'm really sorry it's just..."

"No, Zach, shut up." Zach is taken aback, but Alex continues anyway. "I really like you. Like stupid crush like you...doodle your name in a fucking notebook blushing think about you all the time want to be with you every second physically attracted want to kiss your stupid lips dream about you fucking like you." Alex is blushing and nervously twiddling his thumbs, looking anywhere that isn't Zach's face... so he doesn't notice the red creeping up in the taller boy's cheeks, and the smile forming on his face.

In disbelief, Zach breaths out and says, "I—wow, Alex I..."

"You don't have to like, pity me, or anything. I just like... wanted to tell you that. I know you don't..."

Zach nervously scoots closer to Alex to gain his attention, reiterating Alex's words from just moments before.

"Alex... shut up." He laughs and uses his hand to turn Alex's face to look into his eyes as he almost whispers, in a moment of rare courage, "I really like you too, actually."

Zach isn't sure if it's him or Alex that closes the space between them, but they both allow themselves to enjoy this moment: everything making sense and all the feelings they both bottled up coming to the surface. Zach knows that this may complicate things at school, but they already were getting shit for being so close, so he tells himself that he is willing to take the risk... he has to take this risk. If he couldn't do it for Hannah, he would never make that mistake again and lose Alex, too.

Alex feels his heart pounding out of his chest: he entangles one hand through Zach's hair, still wet to the touch and soft on his fingers. He allows Zach to wrap an arm around his waist, pulling him closer so that there is barely any space between their bodies. Their noses brush a dozen times as their lips dance against one-another, reddening and plumping with each bit of pressure. Alex parts his lips just enough to allow Zach to lead the kiss. Zach uses his free hand to caress Alex's jawline, neck, and cheeks. They both could do this forever it feels like—each one enjoying the little nuances of the other that they'd never experienced before. Sparks flying do not seem to cover the feeling of fireworks erupting in Alex's brain, as he's never felt anything like this moment. He pulls away for only a moment to look at Zach, admiring this new part of him that Alex had never seen before.

Zach breaks the silence between them and finally says, nervously, "I know I should have said something sooner, I was just scared... I can be such an idiot, I didn't want to act on it if I didn't know and..."

Alex suddenly feels a bit of nerves in his stomach, "Well...shit, Zach..." Alex can feel his hands shaking a little. What if he changed his mind? Alex continues, quieter than before, as if he's even scared to know the answer. "do you like... know? I don't want to fuck everything up between us..."

Zach leans in slowly, at first nervous but pushing past those feelings, to brush his lips just barely to Alex's. He pauses, their foreheads touching only for a moment before placing one small kiss on Alex's lips. His laugh is light and breathy as he looks at Alex and says, "I'm done fucking everything up, and I'm tired of letting people I care about go. I can't explain what I am, sexuality wise I guess, but I do know that I would really like it if we could maybe try being more than... um... friends... like... maybe go out on a real date, or something." Zach pauses, laughing more to himself as joy bubbles up inside of him, "I want you-want to be around you, all the time. I can't explain it, but I know that's what I want, and I don't give a shit who has a problem with it." He looks to Alex, flashing him that familiar, innocent smile that sucks Alex in, every time.

Alex doesn't even try to hide the blush deepening on his cheeks as he nods, "You're not stupid, Dempsey... and obviously I'm not just going to let you make out with me without taking me on a proper date..."

Zach laughs wholeheartedly and takes Alex's hand, "You're on... I can't wait to show you off on Monday."

The boys carry on as usual, playing each other in silly racing games, savoring Sour Patch Kids and Mike and Ike's, and finally just a little bit more — small kisses, brushing of hands, and embracing the new electricity between them. If even just for a moment, they allow the rest of the world melt away, the last couple of months feeling far away from them now as each surprise of the night gives them a feeling of peace they haven't felt in a while.


End file.
